Russian–German five-year-olds: What omissions in sentence repetition tell us about linguistic knowledge, memory skills and their interrelation

Abstract In error analyses using sentence repetition data, most authors focus on word types of omissions. The current study considers serial order in omission patterns independent of functional categories. Data was collected from Russian and German sentence repetition tasks performed by 53 five-year-old bilingual children. Number and positions of word omissions were analyzed. Serial order effects were found in both languages: medial errors made up the largest percentage of errors. Then, the position of omissions was compared to visuo-verbal n-back working memory and non-verbal visual forward short-term memory scores using stepwise hierarchical linear regression models, taking into account demographic variables and receptive language. The interaction differed between languages: there was a significant negative association between omissions in the medial position in German and the final position in Russian and the visuo-verbal n-back memory score. Our study contributes to the understanding of how working memory and language are intertwined in sentence repetition.

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Short-Term Memory for Serial Order Moderates Aspects of Language Acquisition in Children With Developmental Language Disorder: Findings From the HelSLI Study

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.608069 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Pekka Lahti-Nuuttila ◽

Elisabet Service ◽

Sini Smolander ◽

Sari Kunnari ◽

Eva Arkkila ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Language Acquisition ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Language Disorder ◽

Serial Order ◽

Receptive Language ◽

General Mechanism ◽

Developmental Language Disorder ◽

Short Term ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Term Memory

Previous studies of verbal short-term memory (STM) indicate that STM for serial order may be linked to language development and developmental language disorder (DLD). To clarify whether a domain-general mechanism is impaired in DLD, we studied the relations between age, non-verbal serial STM, and language competence (expressive language, receptive language, and language reasoning). We hypothesized that non-verbal serial STM differences between groups of children with DLD and typically developing (TD) children are linked to their language acquisition differences. Fifty-one children with DLD and sixty-six TD children participated as part of the HelSLI project in this cross-sectional study. The children were 4–6-year-old monolingual native Finnish speakers. They completed several tests of language and cognitive functioning, as well as new game-like tests of visual and auditory non-verbal serial STM. We used regression analyses to examine how serial STM moderates the effect of age on language. A non-verbal composite measure of serial visual and auditory STM moderated cross-sectional development of receptive language in the children with DLD. This moderation was not observed in the TD children. However, we found more rapid cross-sectional development of non-verbal serial STM in the TD children than in the children with DLD. The results suggest that children with DLD may be more likely to have compromised general serial STM processing and that superior non-verbal serial STM may be associated with better language acquisition in children with DLD.

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Cognitive and linguistic effects of narrative-based language intervention in children with Developmental Language Disorder

Autism & Developmental Language Impairments ◽

10.1177/23969415211015867 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 239694152110158

Author(s):

Laura J Pauls ◽

Lisa MD Archibald

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Language Disorder ◽

Receptive Language ◽

Language Intervention ◽

Single Subject ◽

Developmental Language Disorder ◽

Visuospatial Working Memory ◽

Memory Impairments ◽

Carry Over

Background and aims Narrative-based language intervention provides a naturalistic context for targeting overall story structure and specific syntactic goals in children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Given the cognitive demands of narratives, narrative-based language intervention also has the potential to positively impact related abilities such as working memory and academic skills. Methods Ten children (8–11 years old) with DLD completed 15 sessions of narrative-based language intervention. Results Results of single subject data revealed gains in language for five participants, four of whom improved on a probe tapping working memory. An additional four participants improved on a working memory probe only. On standardized measures, clinically significant gains were noted for one additional participant on a language measure and one additional participant on a visuospatial working memory. Carry over to reading was noted for three participants and to math for one participant. Across measures, gains in both verbal and visuospatial working memory were common. A responder analysis revealed that improvement in language may be associated with higher verbal short-term memory and receptive language at baseline. Those with working memory impairments were among those showing the fewest improvements across measures. Conclusions Narrative-based language intervention impacted verbal skills in different ways across individual children with DLD. Implications: Further research is needed to gain an understanding of who benefits most from narrative-based language intervention.

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Serial order effects in short-term memory.

Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1037/h0025694 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 76 (4, Pt.2) ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

Bennet B. Murdock

Keyword(s):

Short Term Memory ◽

Serial Order ◽

Order Effects ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory

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Syntactic complexity and verbal working memory in bilingual children with and without Developmental Language Disorder

First Language ◽

10.1177/0142723719888372 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 461-484 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Racha Zebib ◽

Laurice Tuller ◽

Cornelia Hamann ◽

Lina Abed Ibrahim ◽

Philippe Prévost

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Language Disorder ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Linguistic Knowledge ◽

Bilingual Children ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Developmental Language Disorder ◽

Core Ability ◽

Language Measures

Sentence repetition (SR) tasks have been shown to be excellent indicators of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). However, there is still no consensus about which core ability they measure: language vs. Verbal Short-Term Memory (VSTM) and Verbal Working Memory (WM). Moreover, very few studies have investigated whether variables predicting SR performance differ in children with DLD compared to typically developing (TD) children, especially concerning bilingual children. This article reports on an SR study of 76 5- to 8-year-old bilingual children with ( n = 23) and without ( n = 53) DLD. The Bi-DLD group displayed significantly lower scores than the Bi-TD group on SR and on VSTM and WM measures. Regression analyses showed that SR was mainly linked to WM in the Bi-DLD group, but not in the TD group, where SR was mainly linked to (independent) language measures. This suggests that children with DLD, who have deficient linguistic knowledge, may rely more on their general processing ability (i.e. WM) in contrast to Bi-TD children, whose language skills are normal, and thus can be solicited for SR. Moreover, individual results suggested that performance on SR does not depend on minimal VSTM or WM spans.

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Verbal Working Memory in Second Language Reading Comprehension: A Correlational Study

Communication Disorders Quarterly ◽

10.1177/1525740121991475 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 152574012199147

Author(s):

Melissa J. Pretorius ◽

Mia le Roux ◽

Salomé Geertsema

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Second Language ◽

Reading Comprehension ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Receptive Language ◽

Linguistic Knowledge ◽

Auditory Information ◽

Poor Reading ◽

L2 Reading ◽

L2 Reading Comprehension

This study investigated the correlation and predictive capacity of verbal working memory (VWM) to the reading comprehension of children in their first language (L1) and second language (L2). The term VWM refers to a cognitive system with a limited capacity that can hold and manipulate verbal and auditory information temporarily. A subaim was to investigate the contribution of L2 linguistic knowledge in L2 reading comprehension. Sixty-three Grade 3 South African children completed a reading comprehension test and VWM assessment (forward span, backward span, and sentence repetition tasks). L2 participants completed a receptive language assessment to delineate whether their linguistic knowledge (L2 vocabulary and grammar knowledge) would be more predictive of L2 reading comprehension in comparison with VWM. Regression and correlation analyses revealed that VWM is not predictive of L1 or L2 reading comprehension. L2 linguistic knowledge, however, significantly correlates with L2 comprehension and VWM capacity, although it is not a significant predictor of L2 reading comprehension. Our findings suggest that reading in an L2 is a multidimensional skill where no single isolated variable can account for good versus poor reading comprehension.

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Conceptual short-term memory (CSTM) supports core claims of Christiansen and Chater

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x15000928 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 ◽

Author(s):

Mary C. Potter

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Rapid Serial Visual Presentation ◽

Language Comprehension ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Visual Presentation ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Use Of Knowledge

AbstractRapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of words or pictured scenes provides evidence for a large-capacity conceptual short-term memory (CSTM) that momentarily provides rich associated material from long-term memory, permitting rapid chunking (Potter 1993; 2009; 2012). In perception of scenes as well as language comprehension, we make use of knowledge that briefly exceeds the supposed limits of working memory.

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Working, Declarative, and Procedural Memory in Children With Developmental Language Disorder

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00135 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (12) ◽

pp. 4162-4178

Author(s):

Emily Jackson ◽

Suze Leitão ◽

Mary Claessen ◽

Mark Boyes

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Language Disorder ◽

Declarative Memory ◽

Memory Systems ◽

Procedural Memory ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Visual Spatial

Purpose Previous research into the working, declarative, and procedural memory systems in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) has yielded inconsistent results. The purpose of this research was to profile these memory systems in children with DLD and their typically developing peers. Method One hundred four 5- to 8-year-old children participated in the study. Fifty had DLD, and 54 were typically developing. Aspects of the working memory system (verbal short-term memory, verbal working memory, and visual–spatial short-term memory) were assessed using a nonword repetition test and subtests from the Working Memory Test Battery for Children. Verbal and visual–spatial declarative memory were measured using the Children's Memory Scale, and an audiovisual serial reaction time task was used to evaluate procedural memory. Results The children with DLD demonstrated significant impairments in verbal short-term and working memory, visual–spatial short-term memory, verbal declarative memory, and procedural memory. However, verbal declarative memory and procedural memory were no longer impaired after controlling for working memory and nonverbal IQ. Declarative memory for visual–spatial information was unimpaired. Conclusions These findings indicate that children with DLD have deficits in the working memory system. While verbal declarative memory and procedural memory also appear to be impaired, these deficits could largely be accounted for by working memory skills. The results have implications for our understanding of the cognitive processes underlying language impairment in the DLD population; however, further investigation of the relationships between the memory systems is required using tasks that measure learning over long-term intervals. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13250180

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The Link Between Verbal Short-Term Memory and Anomia Treatment Gains

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2019_ajslp-18-0176 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 1039-1052

Author(s):

Reva M. Zimmerman ◽

JoAnn P. Silkes ◽

Diane L. Kendall ◽

Irene Minkina

Keyword(s):

Short Term Memory ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Treatment Success ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Language Performance ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Treatment Gains ◽

Post Hoc

Purpose A significant relationship between verbal short-term memory (STM) and language performance in people with aphasia has been found across studies. However, very few studies have examined the predictive value of verbal STM in treatment outcomes. This study aims to determine if verbal STM can be used as a predictor of treatment success. Method Retrospective data from 25 people with aphasia in a larger randomized controlled trial of phonomotor treatment were analyzed. Digit and word spans from immediately pretreatment were run in multiple linear regression models to determine whether they predict magnitude of change from pre- to posttreatment and follow-up naming accuracy. Pretreatment, immediately posttreatment, and 3 months posttreatment digit and word span scores were compared to determine if they changed following a novel treatment approach. Results Verbal STM, as measured by digit and word spans, did not predict magnitude of change in naming accuracy from pre- to posttreatment nor from pretreatment to 3 months posttreatment. Furthermore, digit and word spans did not change from pre- to posttreatment or from pretreatment to 3 months posttreatment in the overall analysis. A post hoc analysis revealed that only the less impaired group showed significant changes in word span scores from pretreatment to 3 months posttreatment. Discussion The results suggest that digit and word spans do not predict treatment gains. In a less severe subsample of participants, digit and word span scores can change following phonomotor treatment; however, the overall results suggest that span scores may not change significantly. The implications of these findings are discussed within the broader purview of theoretical and empirical associations between aphasic language and verbal STM processing.

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